Inverness councillors have given their continued support for a range of popular events and festivals that will take place in the city next year.

Members of The Highland Council’s City of Inverness Area Committee have approved £320,000 Inverness Common Good Funding to enable the staging of the following events that are planned for 2017:• Inverness Highland Games at Bught Park on 15 July• Inverness Gala at Northern Meeting Park on 16 July• Halloween Events at Ness Islands 28 – 29 October• Fireworks Display and Bonfire at Bught Park on 4 November• Christmas Lights switch on at the City Centre and “Ding Dong Merrily on High” at Old High Church on 19 November• Winter Wonderland at Whin Park 15 -17 December• Red Hot Highland Fling at Northern Meeting Park on 31 December.

Provost and Leader of Inverness and Area Cllr Helen Carmichael said: “The Events and Festivals Programme has helped to expand the tourism market in Inverness, particularly in the winter months particularly with the Red Hot Highland Fling which is a firmly established New Year / Hogmanay event in Scotland.

“I would like to thank the Events and Festivals Working Group and the Events Manager for their year-on-year work in delivering events in Inverness that entertain and delight tens of thousands of visitors annually.”

Join us in Inverness this autumn for Loch Ness Knit Fest – an exciting and innovative four-day festival for the international crafting community to be held in the heart of the Highlands.Inspired by the hugely successful Danish Strikkefestival (and with the blessing of its organiser Crystal Seyfarth) our inaugural international knitting festival will be hosted by venues across the Highland capital, including the legendary location of neighbouring Loch Ness, promising to be an event to remember for everyone involved.

Drawing on the region’s rich cultural and crafting history Loch Ness Knit Fest will see crafters come together in stunning surroundings to network, shop and share knitting knowledge.Combining an exciting array of exhibitors with a fully flexible visitor experience Loch Ness Knit Fest is a chance to craft memorable moments amongst fellow makers while discovering this inspirational Scottish setting.

With everything from immersive knitting experiences to hands-on wool workshops, Loch Ness Knit Fest will cater for all kinds of crafters who can enjoy appearances from Scottish knitting icons such as Alice Starmore, as well as festival spokesman and Landward favourite Sarah Mack.

The jam-packed programme offers festival goers a chance to create an experience tailored to their own stitching style, picking presentations and weaving in workshops to create four days of truly unique knit fest fun.

Want to be a part of it? Registration for guests is open now and limited exhibitor spaces are still available.

Loch Ness Knit Fest is a collaborative project from Cobbs, Planit Scotland and Visit Inverness Loch Ness with funding from Event Scotland, Highland Council and the Common Good Fund.

INVERNESS HIGHLAND GAMES & GALA WEEKEND PREVIEWA bumper crowd of 10,000 plus attended the festivities at Bught Park which saw the popular TruckNess event relocated from Dores to join the Inverness Highland Games and Inverness Gala for a special one off visit.The weekend started and finished with two unforgettable record breaking moments. The festivities got underway with performances by the Inverness Military Wives and University of Leuven Belgian Choirs and the induction into the Inverness Highland Games Hall of Fame of Games Chairman Angus Dick and Games Scorer John Findlayson.

This was followed by presentation of the Provost’s Medal to Inverness Harrier Paul Davidson to mark his success in the International Neurological Athletic Association of Sports European Championships in Ankara, Turkey.

The records then started to fall as the crowd enjoyed the biggest Mass Highland Fling to date as hundreds of delighted spectators ran on to the field to perform for Games Chieftain Provost Helen Carmichael.

After witnessing 120 competitors in the Games Highland Dancing Competitions showing them how it should be done; the laughter from the field and packed grandstand told you everything you needed to know about their enthusiastic efforts.

After an exciting day of fiercely contested competition in the main stadium Sinclair Patience was crowned Champion Heavy after winning the weight over the bar, Scots Hammer and Inverness Stone; before completing the Inverness Stonemason’s Stone Challenge to end his day.

Third time visitor Brad Goldsmith of Virginia USA failed on his first attempt at the Stonemason’s stone becoming only the 6th man in the modern era to complete the daunting 252lb Challenge to the delight of the crowd. Brad also won the Tossing the Caber event while Jamie Gunn from Caithness emerged victorious in the Weight For Distance.

Amongst the many additional attractions on offer over the weekend were a fly past by the Coastguard’s helicopter, a Veterans Parade, a Wheelbarrow Grand Prix, an Armed Forces Village, a Shinty Sixes competition and a Boxing Tournament.

The packed programme of activities was the biggest package of entertainment that the Highland Council has ever organised on a single weekend and passed off as planned without incident much to everyone's delight.